The Courtship of Kurosaki Karin
by Paraluman
Summary: Karin's otherwise non-existent lovelife is in for a ride. AU, multiple pairings inside.
1. Prologue

Written by: Ichizawa Tomine

Owned by: Tite Kubo

A/N: This fic is gonna be AU, but I hope you guys enjoy it nonetheless. Thanks to those who reviewed Me and You, and Guns and Roses… _**Oliviax3**_ and _**Jazmin**_ respectively. I really, really appreciate your reviews, and I would also like to apologize that those fics were kinda lame. Gomene! Anyways, back to the story…

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**The Courtship of Kurosaki Karin**

Prologue

_Once upon a time, in a faraway dukedom called Karakura, there lived a girl named Kurosaki Karin. Karin was born to the duke and duchess of the land and she had an older brother and a younger twin sister. As she grew older, she began to have many admirers, for her beauty and sweet nature knew no match. But, sadly, after her mother the duchess died, she became tomboyish, cynical and hot-tempered, a far cry from the girl she had been. By the time she turned 17, her temperament and sharp tongue held no contest either._

_Now it was a known law in the land that only sons were allowed to inherit the family's property and that daughters should be married upon turning 18 else they would have to earn their own bread. Since women held little consequence in the land, it was going to be a difficult time for the unfortunate young lady, indeed._

_Fearing for his daughters' futures, Lord Isshin placed Karin and her sister Yuzu on the marriage market. As expected, Yuzu was taken first; her husband was a young noble named Jinta, who hailed from the neighboring kingdom of Shoten, which, for all its small size, was an extremely rich merchant country. Karin, too, did her part; she amassed a horde of possible husbands, and scared them off one by one. After the twins' partly successful stint on the bachelorette field, it was clear as day that no one was willing to take Karin in as his wife, despite the humongous dowry she possessed. _

_In an act of desperation, Lord Isshin sends Karin off to the northern kingdom of Sereitei, where his son Ichigo resided after marrying the younger sister of the prominent duke Kuchiki Byakuya, in hopes that no man has heard of Karin's streak and that hopefully, there she would snag a husband._

_Whether or not she would succeed, we shall see..._

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**To Be Continued  
**


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo.

A/N: Please let me know what you think.

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**Chapter I**

"GOOD MORNING, MY BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER KARIN!!" boomed Lord Isshin as he pranced into his child Karin's room, drawing back the thick curtains to let the sunlight in.

"THE SUN IS SHINING, THE BIRDS ARE SINGING AND --" a well-aimed pillow hit the overzealous duke's face, sending him flying straight to a wall.

Karin took another pillow to shield her eyes from the glaring light. After a minute of tossing and turning, she hissed when she realized she couldn't go back to sleep. Sitting up slowly, she rubbed her eyes, trying to find whatever had caused the earlier commotion and make it pay for doing so. She soon found the source of the noise in the form of her father, who was slumped at the foot of the wall facing her bed with her pillow still stuck to his face.

Karin sighed before counting to five in her head. _One, two, three, four, fi--_

Isshin jumped back to life, the pillow falling from his face as he stood, revealing a goofy grin. Karin then covered her ears, fully knowing what would happen next. "THE FLOWERS ARE BLOOMING, ALL FOR YOU!!"

Karin could never fathom why her father was the man in charge to rule over Karakura, what with all his foolishness and tomfoolery. He was now doing a tap dance around the room, and Karin knew from experience that he will sing moments from now. And sing he did.

Deciding she could stand no more, Karin yelled a less-than-hearty "Good morning, goat-chin" over his off-key voice singing some lousy aria. It worked wonders, sending Isshin back to her side with a more somber expression, though he was still wearing his goofy grin.

"Good to see you up, little lady," he said, ruffling her hair. Snapping his fingers, a line of maids entered Karin's room, carrying an assortment of luggage and piles of clothing and shoes. Before Karin could ask what was happening however, Isshin was already taking her to the dining hall.

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Breakfast was rather uninteresting, and as always, Isshin chattered to his heart's content while Karin tried to zone him out. Looking over the long table which could seat around fifty people, Karin suddenly missed her siblings. It was easier to ignore her father when they were around, since Ichigo could very well already shut Isshin up by this time, and she'd have Yuzu to talk with too. But now, there was only her and her father, who was still enjoying himself by twittering non-stop.

_'Stupid marriage,' _Karin thought. But then, she knew she couldn't blame her siblings for getting married.

Karin was 15 when Ichigo tied the knot; he was pretty much head-over-heels with Rukia, the sister of some all-powerful duke, and well, he deserved that happy ending considering everything he went through for her. She had thought that he would live in Karakura, considering he was the next duke and all, but instead he opted to settle in Sereitei, and came to visit only once in a while, with the missus in tow. Karin was now used to not having Ichigo around.

Yuzu, however, was a different story – she had only gotten married three months ago, and Karin was still feeling lonesome after her departure. And she also felt worried that her sister may not be happy with her marriage – it had been something like a rush job, after all, so that she'd be spared from Karakura's marriage law.

Now that Karin thought about it, she knew that, had it all gone fine, she's be a missus by this time too. She groaned at the thought. Never mind if she'll be some poor lady. She'd rather be one than marry some jerk. And besides, how would goat-chin fare if she'd leave him too? Despite the fact that her father was somewhat weird, Karin loved him. She felt a pang of sympathy for him when she imagined him sitting alone in the fifty-seater table. One look at him changed her mind, though. He was still talking. Apparently it wouldn't matter even if she left or not – he'd still be having fun even if he were alone.

"… and I said, 'Oh, wouldn't it be lovely!'" Isshin finished his morning-mono-dialogue with a huff of air. "Now Karin, I have some news to tell you."

Karin now paid attention to her father. He could still talk?!

"I'm sending you away for the moment."

'_Ah, that explains why my things were being stuffed into bags.'_

"You're going to your brother in Sereitei," Isshin continued, his eyes tearing up, "and… OH KARIN, I CAN'T TAKE IT!! I'M GOING TO MISS YOU!!"

Isshin tried to hug his daughter all to no avail as Karin shoved a foot into his stomach.

"MY DAUGHTER IS SOOOO CRUEL!! MASAKI!!" Isshin bellowed. "OUR DAUGHTER IS GOING AWAY AND SHE CAN'T EVEN GIVE HER DADDY A HUG!!"

Isshin ran to the big canopy bearing her mother Masaki's picture which hung behind his chair, wailing away. Guards then came rushing into the hall, wondering if some intruder had killed Karin and caused the duke to go ballistic so early in the morning.

"What's wrong, Lady Karin?" the leader asked while looking strangely at his master.

"It's nothing… just the usual. You can leave us now," Karin replied, and the guards hurried out of the hall, some of them whispering to each other.

Karin glared at her obnoxious father. Leave it to him to embarrass her every single day. When he showed no sign of stopping after she counted to five, she approached him, and crouched down to his level. "So why don't you come along, oyaji? And why am I going there?"

Isshin then drew out a handkerchief from nowhere and blew his nose. He then resumed being his old, asinine self, standing up and ushering Karin out of the dining hall.

"Oh, nothing. I just want to know if I'm a grandfather already, that's all… and you need a vacation! Now, all of your things have been packed up, and the carriage is ready to whisk you away. All that is needed is that you get fixed up. I wouldn't want people in there to think that I am not looking after my daughter well. And who knows? Maybe when you come back, you'll no longer be a miss Kuro--"

This time, Karin thrust a loaf of bread into his face.

**End of Chapter I**

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	3. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks to Midnight Jasper for reviewing!!

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**Chapter II**

Actually, that had been the reason why Isshin had sent Karin over to Sereitei; so she wouldn't come back as a _Miss_. With her 18th birthday roughly eleven months away, Isshin's worry for his daughter escalated – once a lady was renounced by a family because of the marriage law, she and her descendants were forbidden to have or maintain any contact with the family, and were forever damned to be servants of Karakura.

Goodness knows how many times Isshin tried to change the laws of inheritance and marriage in the land, and how many times he repeatedly failed. He was powerless when all the other nobles were in favor of the laws – it allowed them to make more political marriages and also ensured that the family's coffers were fattened up.

Three days prior to Karin's departure, Isshin sent a messenger hawk to his son, narrating to him his concerns for Karin's future.

'_Hopefully Ichigo has some tricks for instant matrimony,' _he wished as he watched Karin's carriage drive away from the estate's gates.

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At Sereitei

It was a cold morning in Sereitei since it rained the previous day. Rukia happily snuggled under the warm blankets and tried to feel for Ichigo but her hands were met only by soft cloth and fluffy pillows.

'_That's strange,' _Rukia thought. Ichigo never woke up early on days like these.

Rukia unhurriedly got up, wondering where her orange-headed husband could be at this rather unholy hour. While thinking of the possible places he could be lurking in, Rukia heard some things fall in the next room.

'_Guess that right about answers my question,' _Rukia snapped out of guessing her husband's whereabouts while treading to the source of the noise.

When she got there, she found Ichigo flattened by a myriad of thick tomes that apparently fell out of the shelf on the wall. It was the couple's study, where they entertained their artistic yearnings (in Rukia's case) and quenched their need for literature.

"Oi," Rukia started, "what the heck are you doing on the floor?"

"I hit my head on the shelf and the books fell on me," Ichigo's annoyed voice was muffled by the books. "Mind helping a bit?"

"As a matter of fact, I do."

A groan of exasperation was heard in response. "Rukia, I'm really not in the mood to fight with you right now… tch, why am I even asking you for help?"

Ichigo sat up, causing a thick book that had previously occupied his head to fall on his knee. "Ow!"

Rukia laughed, took the book from Ichigo's knee, and then sat down on the cold floor beside him. "What's up?"

"What do you mean what's up?" Ichigo asked as he piled the books neatly beside him.

"I mean, it's not like you to be up and about on days like these, and I'm sure that those books aren't exactly your kind of reading materials, since I know that those up there," she nodded to a shelf filled with thinner books which had an odd resemblance to what we today call manga, "are the only ones you show any apt interest to read."

"Are you saying I'm incapable of --"

"Now, now Ichigo, I thought you said you didn't want to fight with me today."

Ichigo heaved a sigh, and his face became troubled. Rukia took his hand in concern.

"What's wrong?"

"It's Karin."

"What happened?" Rukia asked in an alarmed voice. "Did she get sick? Did she get lost?"

"No, it's none of those," Ichigo answered, "it's… she's gonna be 18 soon and if she doesn't get a husband..."

Rukia hit Ichigo's head and a thud could be heard.

"Ow! What was that for?" Ichigo angrily rubbed his head, glaring daggers at Rukia. His resolution not to bicker with her snapped. _'Damn midget'_.

"Baka! You got me worried! I thought something bad happened to her!"

And so began one of the couple's infamous yet endearing arguments…

"You didn't need to hit my head!" Ichigo raised his voice, his hand still massaging the place where Ichigo hit his head.

"And you didn't need to make me think she underwent something awful!" Rukia yelled back. '_Stupid Ichigo!_'

"I didn't even say something wrong happened!"

"Well, you spoke as if something did!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Heh, for all I know, you were just trying to take advantage of the fact that I wasn't towering over you so you could hit my head!"

Rukia's face began to redden. _How dare he!_ "Ha! Your fault for being off guard! If I were an enemy, I could have chopped your head off right now!"

"Don't even try to change the topic, _midget_," Ichigo shot back with a decided smirk.

"I am not, _carrot-top_," Rukia seethed.

Both looked at each other for a moment, Ichigo smirking, knowing he had won and Rukia frowning, thinking of some smart comment to wipe off the smug look on his face.

Rukia was about to say something more when Ririn, the couple's strangely young majordomo, entered the room with the gatekeeper Nova in tow. In Ririn's hand was a white messenger dove which bore the crest of the Kurosaki family on its sash. On one of its legs was a tied up message.

"Lord and Lady Kurosaki, good morning," Ririn greeted.

Ichigo and Rukia then got up from the floor. "Good morning, Ririn, Nova… what brings you here?"

"We believe we have received an important message from your father in Karakura, Ichigo-donno," Nova said through his mask. "One of my sentries at the tower intercepted this dove just a few minutes ago."

Ririn placed the dove on a nearby table, and took off the tied up paper and handed it to Rukia.

Rukia opened the paper, and on it was Isshin's surprisingly legible handwriting. She began to read it aloud.

_Dearest son (or daughter),_

_Let me begin this letter with a greeting of I MISSSSSSSSS YOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU! How are things over there right now? Am I going to have a little baby to call me grandpapa? If so, then please, please, please visit!! I have long been awaiting the fruits of your labor… or should I say pleasure? (insert tone of innuendo) If there is no baby yet, then please go ahead with your naughty nightly advents of ecstasy!_

"Stop it!" Ichigo shouted, his face beet red from his father's implications. Nova was noticeably shuffling uncomfortably in his stance, while the seemingly innocent Ririn had a rather mischievous smile on her face. Rukia's face was unreadable.

"Ano, Ichigo-donno," Nova weakly called, "uhm… I think we should leave you two alone. Come now, Ririn."

Ririn's face fell several notches, and glared at Nova, as if willing him to stay so that they'd hear more. Nova grabbed her wrist and dragged her out along with the bird, but not before wishing his masters a pleasant morning. Ririn could be heard shouting at him as they went away.

An awkward silence filled the room as Ririn and Nova left, and Ichigo and Rukia avoided each others' gazes.

'_I will __**kill**__ him,' _Ichigo plotted, thinking of his father's expression if he saw them now. He would smile another of his maniac smile, one that had 'I am planning something' written all over his face.

Trying to cover his embarrassment, Ichigo cleared his throat. "Uhm… you can go straight to the important part."

"Right," she said quietly.

_I am sending Karin there under the guise of a vacation, but I want you two to find her a suitable match while she is there. I have exhausted all my efforts in finding her one here, for she has scared off all male beings interested in her. Sigh, such a waste of beauty! BUT NO BEAUTY IS WASTED ONCE IT IS GIVEN TO MY DAUGHTERS!! BWAHAHAHAHA!! UNFORTUNATELY, THE SAME CANNOT BE SAID FOR MY SO--  
_

"You can skip that part."

_Around this time, she is probably already in the Rukongai province, and you can expect her there by tomorrow evening. Dearest children, please help your sister!! Her 18__th__ birthday is only eleven months away and I don't know what I'd do if--_

Ichigo took the paper from Rukia's hands. The tension between them had eased, and Ichigo eyes were troubled once more.

"Why'd you get the paper?" Rukia asked, though this time, without the menacing tone that would have normally accompanied it.

"If you want to know, oyaji's probably gonna write hu-hu-hu until the last bit of the paper," Ichigo replied and placed the paper. He sat down on one of the chairs, and cradled his head between his hands. _Now what? I was expecting that oyaji could have done something already by this time… after all, he had gotten Yuzu married just recently… think, Ichigo!_

Rukia took the paper, and saw Ichigo was right. There was hu-hu-hus written all over. "So what's the problem, Ichigo?"

"Well, you know the rules back home, the getting-married-at-18 rubbish thing, so that's one. Two, someone with Karin's features should have no problem in reeling in plenty of men, but how come she's still single?! Three, my father's the freaking duke of Karakura, so there are plenty of families who'd want to ally with him, so once again, why the heck is Karin still unmarried?! Four, my father's also stubborn by the way—"

Rukia knowingly smirked at him. "That explains your bullheadedness."

Ichigo glowered, but continued, "—so he never gets fraught, meaning if he sent Karin here, it is a big problem. And besides, the only parties we throw around here are our birthdays'!! How can she meet people that way? I'm not someone of much consequence here, so even the other parties I give out aren't jam-packed with people… and I don't intend to throw any more for her, because I'm certainly not a people person, and I wouldn't freaking know how to--"

Rukia suddenly looked up, as if she had some grand idea. "Eureka!"

"What?"

"Stop blabbering Ichigo, I know someone who can help us!" Rukia had a twisted look in her eyes.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Ichigo muttered under his breath.

She clapped her hands gleefully. "Come now, Ichigo, get dressed! We're going to Nii-sama's!!"

_Yup… bad feeling indeed._

**End of Chapter II**

A/N: Okaay… I'm sorry for getting carried away by Ichiruki here when this fic's not even supposed to be about them, but I ship this pairing and I seriously can't help it! Review, oh please please please!!


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter III**

_While Karin is still zooming across Rukongai, we now delve into the life of a young man named Hitsugaya Toushiro._

_Orphaned as a 3-year-old boy by an accident in the sea, he was raised by his mother's busty cousin Matsumoto Rangiku. It was quite a humourous occasion when Matsumoto demanded to care for her cousin's son since she was only three years older than her nephew. Matsumoto though, young as she was, was deeply moved by what had happened to her nephew, having lost her own parents as a young girl in a bandit raid. _

_Her guardians and the other elders had been reluctant to give Matsumoto her way, but in the eventually did, since Toushiro did not want to go to anyone else. Matsumoto tried to mother her young nephew but in the end she was only a child, causing her and Toushiro to have more brother-sister moments than mother-son. They were close, and most of the maids would have a hard time parting them.They were especially a force to reckon with when the mischievous Matsumoto would come up with pranks for them to pull._

_Fortunately, Sereitei's laws were unlike Karakura's when it came to marriage and inheritance, so Matsumoto was able to her inherit her father's title - becoming a viscountess when she was sixteen - and was also able to get away with being unmarried at twenty-two._

_Toushiro, now 19, has become a duke, a title he got from his father, and took over his mother's lands in the big province of Rukongai. He is of some importance in Sereitei, being the youngest person to hold the title duke, and is considered to be the land's ultimate catch since Kuchiki Byakuya, who was and still is __the__ duke of Sereitei. However, despite the many girls who desperately try to catch his attention, his eyes only see one woman, Hinamori Momo, who in turn has eyes only for one man, Sousuke Aizen, who is the duke of the vast plains of Hueco Mundo._

_We then come to know that Hinamori is a distant relative of Shiba Kaien, the dashing lord of Kaji province who was once touted to marry Kuchiki Rukia until he surprised everyone by marrying his childhood sweetheart, Miyako. Likewise, Kuchiki Rukia also married someone else(who everyone noted looked somewhat looked like Kaien), and the two have remained good friends._

_Now that we have some knowledge of Toushiro's life, we arrive to a point in his half-filled canvas-like existence when fate decides to start painting again._

**End of Chapter IV**

**Kaji is Japanese for fire, and I wanted to add some pun there since Kuukaku, Kaien's sister, has some affinity with it. Review!!**


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: I am soooo sorry for the late update!!! I had to enroll for the second semester of this school year and since the computer system they used got busted, it wasn't exactly the finest time of my life (aka it was hot, it was boring to wait for you to be called, it was noisy, it was cramped and it drained whatever 'life' there was in you by the end of the day) so I'm really sorry that I haven't been updating lately. I wasted around two to three days going to back and forth to school, and it was a relief when I finally got some of my units encoded. Some. **

**So anyways, I hope you guys enjoy the ensuing chapters!! And please, PLEASE review. I wanna know if I'm still on the right track. ******

**Chapter 4**

Toushiro wiped beads of sweat off his forehead as he surveyed the farmers who were harvesting his lands. It was sweltering day to be in Rukongai, but it was a harvest day nonetheless. He needed to oversee how the crop would be stocked in his barns, and he also needed to give out the shares of the farmers who tilled his land. Usually, this work was delegated to someone else but Toushiro liked to drop in his lands once in a while.

"A rather steamy day, isn't it Hitsugaya-sama?" his right-hand man Kusaka handed him a waterbag.

"Ah," Toushiro replied then gratefully took a swig of the bag. He closed his eyes to savor the cold feeling that was travelling to his stomach.

"And an awfully boring one too!" Matsumoto, who had come, whined from nearby. She was fanning herself furiously, and her normally revealing yukata was even more so, since it seemed like she wanted to take off the whole thing already. Nearby some men had stopped working to ogle at her.

"Matsumoto, close your yukata will you? You're distracting the workers."

Matsumoto pouted but she set it back to its original revealing level. Some of the men's faces conspicuously displayed disappointment. "Mou Toushiro, it's so hot here!!! And there's nothing to do but watch the stupid clouds! Soujiro-kun, do you think I can find some sake in that pack of yours?"

Without waiting for an answer, Matsumoto went on to rummage through their supplies, looking for alcohol. Toushiro groaned. He shouldn't have brought Matsumoto with him, if it weren't for her unceasing whines and numerous attempts to suffocate him with her large bosom. She soon squealed in delight when she found a small container filled with what seemed to be sake. Kusaka gave an exasperated smile to Toushiro, who just slapped his forehead. The sake was for the thanksgiving ceremony later. Maybe he should have just left her back home, no matter what she would've done to him.

Toushiro quickly snatched the small bottle from Matsumoto's hands before she could open it and gave her an indignant look.

"Toushiro!!!" she yelled.

"Ano, Matsumoto-sama, we're going to need the sake for the thanksgiving rites after the harvest," Kusaka tried to pacify Matsumoto, who was beginning to look annoyed.

"But I'm bored, and I have nothing to do, and there's sake! You always do –"

"I don't care if you're bored! You should've stayed home where there's plenty of sake and stuff to do," Toushiro replied nonchalanty as he placed the small bottle back into Kusaka's pack.

"Mou!" Matsumoto crossed her arms and pouted her lips.

When her nephew ignored her, she tried another tactic to pester him. "What a dreary life! Nothing ever happens when you're around, Toushiro."

Still no reaction. Matsumoto could feel her blood surging. She had to irk him, one way or another. She was going to get back at him for refusing her sake.

'_Why? Are the gods yet too materialistic that a simple thank you would not suffice?'_ Matsumoto mulled over sarcastically. _'Stupid gods. They're probably making everything in this world to fill my life with miserable ennui. Nothing ever happens. I can't annoy Toushiro, I certainly cannot cajole Kusaka, I have no alcohol and –"_

A loud bang was heard from afar, and a cloud of dust could be seen from the horizon. Matsumoto perked up, feeling some excitement. The sound of the crash was so distinct that Toushiro, who was usually deaf when he was working on the accounting of the farm, looked up from what he was doing with a worried frown.

"What happened?" Kusaka asked, squinting his eyes to see in the distance.

The dust settled later on, but the trio still could not see what had caused the tumult because of the wide expanse of land between them and the incident. Some of the farmers hurried to the scene, and Toushiro stood up, taking with him a sword in case it was some sort of set-up by bandits. It was a common modus for bandits to stage some sort of accident before looting and killing the onlookers, especially during the harvest season.

"Matsumoto, stay here. Kusaka, I want you to get the others ready."

"But Toushiro!!!" Matsumoto complained, being left out of the action. How could he? She was the one who prayed that something would happen. She watched wistfully as Kusaka banded the nearby famers, who readily armed theirselves in case it really was a bandit attack.

"Stay. We don't know what's going on there," Toushiro threw Matsumoto a smaller blade. "Use it if necessary."

In a flash Toushiro, Kusaka, and the other farmers ran to the place of the upheaval. A worker met them on the way.

"Sir," he said respectfully, bowing to Toushiro.

"What happened?"

"There seems to have been an accident, my lord. It's a carriage; apparently, the box and the horses got separated, and the carriage crashed into one of our ditches."

"Is there anyone inside?" Kusaka queried.

"I don't know. They didn't open the carriage yet."

"Well run to them and tell them to be careful. For all we know, bandits are awaiting in the area to ambush us."

With that the worker ran to his comrades, shouting Toushiro's order. Toushiro then directed some of the armed farmers to scout the nearby shrubbery, while he and Kusaka followed to the dislodged carriage box. When they got there, the farmers had taken a defensive stance, their pitchforks and sickles ready for action. Hitsugaya approached the dismantled coach, surveying the damage and trying to assess the situation.

"Lord Hitsugaya! Do not come near the thing! What if there is someone inside waiting to trap you?!" cried one farmer.

"Hush!" chided Kusaka. "Allow him to do his work."

Kusaka followed Toushiro, his blade also perched, ready to be drawn in case there should be a battle. The carriage box was made of sturdy oak wood, but the crash left it badly ruined in the bottom area, probably a result of crashing into Rukongai's rocky and treacherous dirt road. The top part of the box was still intact; there were some trunks firmly tied to it.

'_If this was really of a rogue's doing, I highly doubt they'd go far to destroy a coach as well built as this,'_ Hitsugaya pondered. Upon further inspection he found a coat-of-arms embedded into the door of the coach. _'Maybe this carriage belongs to some rich person, and the bandits have already done with them, and they're now using this as a ploy to ensnare more people.'_

Finding no other marks of apparent importance, Toushiro decided it was high time to open the door. He signalled to Kusaka and to the rest to get ready. He rested his left hand on the hilt of his sword, while his other hand opened the door. He was about to draw his blade when he noticed that there was no one in the couch ready to lunge at him. He instead found but two knocked out people, a raven-haired girl who head was bleeding profusely and a woman, who, judging by the state of her clothing was probably the former's maid, who was merely out cold.

"What is it?" Kusaka asked after a moment of anticipation.

"Lord Hitsugaya!" a man on sentinel duty exclaimed from the back. "There's an unconscious man in the ditch!"

**End of Chapter 4**


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: To all those who followed this story, I'm really sorry for the late update!! The school system went haywire during the enrollment for the second semester, and it the enrollment took up the rest of my vacation. Then came the holidays with its slew of parties... so I'm settling for now, the midterm season. Hahahahaha... I probably won't update so much because I have to study (Nooooo!!! I really hate studying). By the way, I changed my pen name from Ichizawa Tomine to Paraluman... it's a new year and I want to try new things. Enjoy!!:D**

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**Chapter V**

Ichigo slacked behind Rukia as she happily trodded through the cobblestone path leading towards the inner compound of the enormous Kuchiki estate. He understood that she was probably missed her old home, but just what the heck was to miss in this place? Ichigo noted the silence that could rival a cemetery's, and the eerie feeling that made him feel as if he was stepping into a haunted ghost town. There was barely anyone in sight, and the houses were mordidly identical. He experienced a flow of unpleasant memories when he came here some two years ago to ask for Rukia's hand for marriage – even with the whole entourage that had come with him from Karakura, it had felt ominous; what more when there was only him and Rukia?

"Oi Ichigo!" Rukia waved impatiently when she got to the main house's gate. "Hurry up!!!"

Ichigo was still some fifty meters away, deliberately slowing down his pace with every step. He felt some chills when in the horizon loomed the main house, and his body was covered with goosebumps when he thought of the man who headed the said establishment.

Rukia, growing irritated with every snail-paced movement Ichigo made, ran to him and tried, albeit rather unsuccessfully, to drag her husband to the gate. Unsuccessfully, because aside from the blaringly obvious difference in their sizes, Ichigo was also carrying a basket laden with presents.

"Move it, slow-berry!" Rukia demanded, still tugging at Ichigo's haori. "Can't you walk any faster?"

"I can if we're going in the opposite direction," Ichigo answered.

When Rukia gave him _the_ look; yes, it was _the_ look that only wives were capable of making, _the_ look which made their otherwise nonconforming husbands obey their every order – he tried another reply. "You should have taken the carriage then! Then maybe we'd already arrived, and maybe I wouldn't be carrying this stupid heavy basket."

"Maybe if we'd come more often, I would be riding that carriage right now because I wouldn't miss home this much, and maybe you wouldn't be carrying that basket, because we'd be giving the presents at the proper times rather than dump everything to them whenever we make our rare visits. Nii-sama must think I'm disrespectful not coming to visit him often – "

"Che! Maybe you mean he's thankful you don't come often to visit," Ichigo replied. He never liked it when Rukia pointed out that he disliked her relations. It made him look the like the bad one.

So they quarelled once more, and they eventually reached the genkan of Kuchiki Byakuya's house, much to Ichigo's horror and Rukia's delight. Ichigo immediately became quiet, fearful that he should lure his brother-in-law outside. One of the guards, upon seeing his former mistress, rushed into the house to announce the couple's arrival. Ichigo's face became exceedingly grave, while Rukia managed to keep her sanguine appearance.

She let out a small chuckle; oh, if only her orange-headed dobe of a husband knew that they weren't there to exactly see Byakuya, he would be much more amiable, but his expression was just too priceless. The reason she had come to her brother's abode was to meet with his wife and her sister-in-law, the ex-head of Sereitei's Medical Corps, the gentle and graceful Unohana Retsu, who was now Kuchiki Retsu. Byakuya's marriage to her had not been anticipated by Sereitei's foremost matchmakers and mothers.

For a long time, Unohana Retsu had been the poster child of singlehood among women – while it was usually scorned to remain unmarried after twenty, she made it fashionable. She was once engaged to marry Sousuke Aizen, the easygoing lord of Hueco Mundo, but on the eve of the wedding, they called it quits though the latter is still known to carry a torch for the lady. Meanwhile, Byakuya was also an advocate of bachelorhood i.e. he made no secret of his having no plan to settle down. So one could easily imagine the stupor they caused.

Byakuya and Retsu married when Rukia was seven, and their seventeen years of marriage had brought them two children. Their eldest was a boy by the name of Yukihiro, aged 16, and their youngest was a girl, Hatoko, aged 5. Yukihiko was a sixteen-year old Byakuya – meaning, he was what his father had been when the duke was still a young lad – fiery, cocky, brash, and not to mention, equally handsome. The Kuchikis' older servants would often look back with nostalgia at how their master had been in his youth, not the silent man he currently was. But they knew better; Byakuya's actions spoke volumes, and this was enough for all those who knew him well. This probably had the exception of Hatsume, with whom Byakuya was considered to be 'noisy', speaking in low, affectionate tones with his youngest, since little Hatoko had yet to grow accustomed to her father's quiet ways.

Hatoko was a heartbreakingly beautiful child. Her silky dark hair ended in soft curls on her shoulders, and her cheeks and lips were kissed by a rosy pink hue. Her skin was as white as milk, and her eyes, which, if found in her father and brother, would come across as proud, was brimming with innocence. She had her mother's heart-shaped face and small, delicate lips. Everyone in the Kuchiki estate doted on their head's daughter, but for all the affection she had, Hatoko was awfully shy. She would often bury her head in her parents' kimono, or in her brother's. She was very much attached to her father, and fiercely possessive of her mother.

Rukia sighed happily as Hatoko's face flashed in her mind. She would be forever in love with her niece.

The guard later came back and led the two inside. Rukia had just taken off her geta when a shinai came out of nowhere and hit Ichigo's head downturned head.

"Ichigo!!" Rukia cried, and knelt to help her spouse.

"Gotcha, Sekihara!" yelled a triumphant looking Yukihiro. A moment later the triumph was tranformed into realization, and then into slight trepidation.

"A-Aunt Rukia?" he asked Rukia, unsure whether he got the situation right. His aunt never visited during this time of the year.

"Yes, Yuki?"

Yukihiro's eyes widened as he grasped the situation fully. He didn't hit his sensei Sekihara. He had just bludgeoned his uncle Ichigo. _Oh dear, mom's gonna kill me later. _"I just hit Uncle Ichigo, didn't I?"

Before Rukia could reply, Ichigo suddenly shot up and grabbed Yukihiro's shinai from his hand.

"What was that for?!!" he demanded. "I don't think Byakuya should allow kids to run amok with weapons."

Yukihiro's apologetic look was replaced by an indignant one in an instant. "And I don't think father should allow mindless nincompoops to enter the house when I'm training. And I don't mean you, Aunt Rukia."

"Of course," Rukia smiled knowingly, ignoring Ichigo's wide-eyed look that said 'why are you siding with him?!' At least now Ichigo's high-strung demeanor mellowed down.

"Then Yuki-chan," Ichigo rallied back, "the Kuchiki estate must be deprived in its assets to provide you a decent dojo. Why, back in Karakura, I had five all for myself."

"Well Uncle dearest, that was back in Karakura. You're in Sereitei now. And please, I am too old to be called Yuki-chan. Surely with five dojos, one of your masters ought to have taught you respect, be it to your senpai or kohai."

"I have been taught to respect only those who respect me."

"Really now? And am I not being respectful, _Uncle_ Ichigo?"

"If you were anywhere near respectful, Yuki, you would never speak to your uncle that way," came in a voice which unnerved the smug boy.

"Unohana-san," Ichigo greeted, bowing to his elder sister-in-law. While many found it weird, Retsu preferred to be addressed by her maiden name. She came in the scene of battle, and clinging to her kimono was little Hatoko, who eyed Ichigo bashfully.

"And Kurosaki-kun," Unohana further reiterated, "I think you are too old to have verbal jousts with Yuki, ne?"

Ichigo laughed sheepishly. He then crouched down and reached for a small present in the basket and walked over to hand it to Hatoko. His scowl softened, and Rukia smiled at the almost unnoticable change. Hatoko took the small box timidly, and after taking off the top lid the box revealed a hairclip with pink glass sakura petals dangling from its end.

"Like it?"

Hatoko smiled, her cheeks pink as ever. Ichigo took the clip from her hand and pinned her hair. Rukia's smile grew bigger at this scene; it was a known fact that of the people not directly related to Hatoko, Ichigo was her favorite.

* * *

**Before anything else, I would like to have a long long speech down here. If anyone of you read the manga, you probably saw how 'lovable' Byakuya was when he was younger(when he was not yet the uptight prick that he is now), and I couldn't resist the urge to revive the young Byakuya in who else but his son? As for the Unohana pairing.. well, I've always loved that pairing, so let's leave it at that shall we?**

**The names I gave Byakuya's children are actually tributes to Hisana(we just can't forget about her now can we?); Yukihiro (Yuki=snow... somewhere along the lines that it was the last full season Byakuya and Hisana remained together) and Hatoko (meaning 'dove' in Japanese... I assumed that doves came out in spring, the last season Byakuya and Hisana were actually together)... you get the picture.**

**Don't forget to review!!  
**


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